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Can we feed the world without breaking the planet?What do potatoes, pigs and pollinators have in common?They’re all vital in feeding the growing human population – but modern intensive farming has created huge problems we can no longer ignore.“We're taking more out of the environment than the environment can sustain. If you consider nature as capit…

Carbon credits have enabled vital protection of tropical forests, despite being oversold tenfoldA major analysis led by the University of Cambridge has found that many REDD+ projects achieved meaningful reductions in forest loss - offering real environmental benefits.This is despite the study confirming that almost eleven times more carbon credits …

The RSBP's advice on feeding garden birds has changed: Dr Jack Shutt explains whyUK residents put out enough bird food each year to feed more than 3 times the entire populations of garden bird food consuming bird species if they ate nothing else. In response to emerging evidence, the RSPB has asked the public to rethink this practice. Research has …

Helping young conservationists plug in and shine brightThe Student Conference in Conservation Science has connected thousands of young conservationists determined to tackle the biodiversity crisis - and this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.Over the last quarter of a century, something extraordinary has emerged from Cambridge: an annual gatheri…

The Royal Society Environment Prize Lecture will be delivered by Professor Andrew Balmford FRSThe Environment Medal and Lecture 2025 is awarded to Professor Andrew Balmford FRS for groundbreaking contributions to conservation science, having built transformative partnerships and redefining the landscape of conservation education.Food production doe…

25th Student Conference on Conservation ScienceThe 25th Student Conference on Conservation Science takes place here in Zoology this week.  Conservationists and students from across the globe will travel to Cambridge to take part. Four delegates told us about the importance of the event to them, and to their research.Fetratiana Rakotomanga, Universi…

UK appoints Cambridge Prof Laura Díaz Anadón to Climate Change CommitteeUK ministers have appointed University of Cambridge Professor Laura Díaz Anadón to the independent statutory body which advises their governments on greenhouse gas emissions targets and reports to parliament on climate progress.The CCC has been a pioneering institution globally…

Global insect rescue plan needs new tech to ensure successInsects make up the vast majority of animal species on Earth, but their populations are declining rapidly.   The ability to measure their numbers is crucial to understand the efficacy of methods to reverse the trend, but, until now, tracking insect decline at a global scale has been challeng…

Ed Turner awarded Pilkington PrizeProfessor Ed Turner, Professor of Insect Ecology and Curator of Insects in the Museum of Zoology, is one of twelve recipients of the Pilkington Prize 2026. The prizes are awarded to individuals who make a substantial contribution to the teaching programme of a Department, Faculty or the University as a whole. Ed wa…

Flood tolerant wetland crops could also support nature recovery, finds new researchResearch led by the University of Cambridge and the RSPB shows that farming wetland-adapted crops on wetter peat - known as paludiculture - can support richer and more diverse bird communities than drained grassland.Lowland peatlands, such as the East Anglian Fens an…

Professor Laura Diaz Anadon quoted in the media on the latest report from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change on EU adaptationProfessor Laura Diaz Anadon has been featured in a range of news articles to provide comment on the latest report from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.Professor Diaz Anadon, who …

New research explores how public programmes shape farmers’ adoption of sustainable agriculture, in Mexico and the United StatesRecent research at the Department of Land Economy examines the performance of public programmes on farmers’ adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, spanning climate-smart agriculture in the U.S. and agroforestry cof…

RestPoll - Restoring pollinators in Europe: Evidence-based actions for Nature Restoration PlansThe European pollinator restoration, Restpoll, has launched a policy brief to support action under the EU Nature Restoration Law. It's also highly relevant to the UK Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 (Goal 1: Restored Nature).The content is underpinned …

Prof. Rachael D. Garrett has been elected a new British Ecological Society (BES) FellowRachael is an interdisciplinary scientist whose research examines the social and ecological impacts of land use, the effectiveness and equity of forest conservation and sustainable agriculture policies, and economic transformations to support people and nature. H…

Professor Lynn Dicks recently joined a leading agriculture and sustainability podcast to discuss the science behind regenerative farming and share insights from University of Cambridge team in the H3 Programme (Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People), lead by the University of Sheffield.The conversation explores what robust, real-world evidence…